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Theater
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Opera Review: ADRIANA LECOUVREUR (Opera Festival of Chicago / North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie)
A VERISMO MIXED BAG Opera Festival of Chicago tackles a neglected verismo work with admirable ambition but uneven results Opera Festival of Chicago’s sixth season features the company’s characteristic blend of classic and lesser-known verismo operas. Francesco Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur, which falls into the latter category, hasn’t been performed in Chicago since Renata Tebaldi sang the…
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Title: Theater Review: MISTERMAN (Origin Theatre Company at Theater Row, New York)
THE SIN HUNTER An unsettling and darkly funny portrait of moral obsession Enda Walsh’s Misterman is probably theatre’s longest continuous nervous breakdown, and Origin Theatre Company‘s revival at Theater Row, presented as part of the 2026 Origin Irish Theatre Festival, is a fascinating production directed by Labhaoise Magee, starring Daniel Marconi as Thomas Magill. Walsh’s…
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Theater Review: JIMMY STEWART ON THE FRONT OF LIFE (Hollywood Fringe Festival / Los Angeles)
THE WAR THAT FOLLOWED HIM HOME Rather than celebrate a legend, Brian Rohan reveals the man still haunted by war At the outset of World War II, Jimmy Stewart (1908–1997) became the first major Hollywood star to enlist. A flying enthusiast from early on, Stewart was already a licensed pilot when he joined the Army…
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Theater Review: MY ONE WOMAN SHOW (THE SEARCH FOR A TRUTHFUL MOMENT) (Madnani Theatre / Hollywood Fringe Festival)
ONE MAN, MANY TRUTHS An extraordinary performer turns theatrical self-examination into something unexpectedly profound Stefan Marks is a spellbinding storyteller, and My One Woman Show (The Search for a Truthful Moment) at The Hollywood Fringe is far more than a clever send-up of the solo-performance genre. Beginning as a funny, self-aware examination of the agonies of…
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Theater Review: A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC (Marriott Theatre / Lincolnshire)
A SONDHEIM SUMMER NIGHT Marriott Theatre’s superb ensemble untangles Sondheim’s deliciously complicated comedy of manners There aren’t many shows that can convince large numbers of city dwellers to make the journey out to Lincolnshire, but for Stephen Sondheim, I think many will be willing to spend “A Weekend in the Country,” as the characters in…
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Theater Review: ARMY BRAT (Broadwater Second Stage / Hollywood Fringe Festival)
LIFE IN A BLENDER A chaotic solo show anchored by an engaging performer. Kelly Mullis‘s solo show Army Brat at the Broadwater Second Stage carries a very accurate subtitle: “The Fever Dream into the Life of a Military Kid.” As penned by the performer, the show is a splattering of her life, her father’s life,…
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Theater Review: THE AMERICAN FIVE (Berkshire Theatre Group / Unicorn Theatre / Stockbridge, MA)
THE DREAM TEAM A compelling new play reminds us that history is rarely made alone The American Five, by Chess Jakobs, offers a convincing and absorbing portrayal of Martin Luther King Jr.’s lesser-known inner circle in the months and hours leading up to the famed 1963 March on Washington and King’s iconic “I Have a…
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Off-Broadway Review: A WALK ON THE MOON (Laura Pels Theatre / New York)
REACHING FOR MORE An engaging journey, once it finds its rhythm. Based on the 1999 film of the same name, the new musical A Walk on the Moon makes its New York premiere at the Laura Pels Theatre with book and additional lyrics by original screenwriter Pamela Gray, music and lyrics by AnnMarie Milazzo, and…
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Theater Review: THE ZIONISTS: A FAMILY STORM (Barrington Stage Company / Pittsfield, MA)
THE TIES THAT STRAIN A hurricane traps a family already under siege. S. Asher Gelman’s emotionally gripping new play, The Zionists: A Family Storm, now at Barrington Stage Company in Miami New Drama‘s world-premiere production, is full of the best kind of talk—talk that demands to be heard. Ruth (Joanna Glushak) and Mitchell (Adam Grupper),…
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Theater Review: MAKING PORN (Prism Theatre / Palm Springs)
WORKING STIFFS An unapologetically bawdy comedy that delivers laughs with plenty of cheek Palm Springs’ Prism Theatre has selected Ronnie Larsen’s Making Porn as its second production for its permanent downtown home. Larsen first produced his play in 1995, and Palm Springs was one of the stops before its 500-performance Off-Broadway run, which started in…
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Theater Review: UNCLE VANYA (AstonRep Productions at The Edge Off-Broadway / Chicago)
OUT OF TUNE WITH CHEKHOV Chekhov’s quiet desperation is drowned out by one very loud performance What would a season of theater be without a Chekhov play? Or five? Following Red Theater’s excellent The Seagull in February, we now have a new iteration of Uncle Vanya from AstonRep Productions, currently on stage at The Edge Off-Broadway…
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Theater Review: WHAT BECAME OF US (Signature Theatre / Arlington, VA)
THE PLACES WE CARRY A tender portrait of family, memory, and the ties that survive distance and time. What Became of Us, Shayan Lotfi‘s intimate new play at Signature Theatre, explores identity, memory, and belonging through the lives of two siblings grappling with the fallout of immigration. Their struggles and successes—told through memories and present-day…
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Theater Review: WATER FOR ELEPHANTS (National Tour at Nederlander Theatre / Chicago)
STEP RIGHT UP A criminally underrated musical proves there’s more under the big top than spectacle Water for Elephants, based on the novel by Sara Gruen, premiered on Broadway in March 2024 and closed that December after just 300 performances. With a book by Rick Elice, music and lyrics by PigPen Theatre Co., and original…
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Theater Review: THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL (Cygnet Theatre / San Diego)
READY, SET, SPONGE! A colorful musical that’s tailor-made for kids and SpongeBob devotees SpongeBob SquarePants debuted on Nickelodeon in 1999 and was a quick success, becoming a must-watch for kids and many college students. The animated series became a multibillion-dollar global hit, yielding spin-offs, movies, and this musical adaptation now on at Cygnet Theatre titled,…
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Theater Review: DELIRIUM (Arlekin Players Theatre / Boston)
ABSURDLY EVER AFTER A turtle and a snail walk into a war… Igor Golyak, director of Arlekin Players Theatre‘s Delirium, has never seen a production of Eugène Ionesco’s Frenzy for Two (Délire à deux), one of his many challenging plays exploring the meaninglessness left in the wake of World War II—and, he says, few others…
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Music Preview: ON THE TOWN in Concert (Carnegie Hall / New York City)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK… AGAIN After the success of Oklahoma!, Carnegie Hall launches a five-year celebration of classic American musicals. After the sold-out success of Oklahoma! earlier this year, Carnegie Hall and Orchestra of St. Luke’s are making concert musicals an annual tradition. They’ve announced a new five-year series devoted to classic American musicals, beginning…
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Theater Review: DIE WALKÜRE (LA Phil / Disney Hall / Los Angeles)
A RING BROKEN OUT OF SHAPE A misguided presentation undermines Wagner’s masterpiece and Gustavo Dudamel’s farewell-season ambitions The Los Angeles Philharmonic’s presentation of Richard Wagner’s Die Walküre, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel during the final month of his tenure as Music and Artistic Director, should have been one of the crown jewels of the season. Instead,…
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Theater Review: HENRY VI: A TRILOGY IN TWO PARTS (NAATCO at The Public Theater / New York)
WAR OF THE ROSES, BLOOMING AGAIN Five hours fly by in this gripping, emotionally rich adaptation. William Shakespeare is generally considered one of the greatest playwrights the world has ever known. His plays demonstrate a depth of insight into human psychology, political maneuvering, affairs of the heart, ruthless violence, and the humanity of various social…
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Theater Review: THEFT OF FIRE (The Actors Company / Hollywood Fringe Festival)
BURNED BY AMBITION Sometimes the bravest artistic choice is asking for help. In Theft of Fire, Garrett Hildebrandt is presentable, well-spoken, talented, and smart. However, he’s not as talented as he believes himself to be and not smart enough to recognize that. (It’s excusable; he’s young.) Hildebrandt strides the stage at The Actors Company Let…
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Theater Review: UNTITLED VAMPIRE PLAY (Lookingglass / Chicago)
SUCKING FACE Chemistry, comedy, and a little bloodlust make for an irresistible evening. Is there a quality more indefinable and unpredictable than the chemistry between two people, whether in real life or on stage or screen? It cannot be predicted by mien, talent, or secondary sexual characteristics. It’s either there or it isn’t. And in…
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